60 THE AUT OF TAMING HORSES. 



halter, then shorten the distance between yourself and 

 the horse by taking up the strap in your hand. 



As soon as he will allow you to hold him by a toler- 

 ably short strap, and to step up to him without flying 

 back, you can begin to give him some idea about 

 leading. But to do this, do not go before and attempt 

 to pull him after you, but commence by pulling him 

 very 'quietly to one side. He has nothing to brace 

 either side of his neck, and will soon yield to a steady, 

 gradual pull of the halter; and as soon as you have 

 pulled him a step or two to one side, step up to him and 

 caress him, and then pull him again, repeating this 

 operation until you can pull him around in every direc- 

 tion, and walk about the stable with him, which you can 

 do in a few minutes, for he will soon think when you 

 have made him step to the right or left a few times, that 

 he is compelled to follow the pull of the halter, not know- 

 ing that he has the power to resist your pulling ; besides, 

 you have handled him so gently that he is not afraid of 

 you, and you always caress him when he comes up to 

 you, and he likes that, and would just as lief follow you 

 as not. And after he has had a few lessons of that kind, 

 if you turn him out in a field, he will come up to you 

 every opportunity he gets. 



You should lead him about in the stable some time 

 before you take him out, opening the door, so that he 

 can see out, leading him up to it and back again, and 

 past it. 



See that there is nothing on the outside to make him 

 jump when you take him out, and as you go out with 

 him, try to make him go very slowly, catching hold of 

 the halter close to the jaw with your left hand, while the 

 right is resting on the top of the neck, holding to his 



